


the day you left me

by koosjunhoe



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, Mafia AU, Mafia BTS, Mafia Day6, Mafia Monsta X, Non-Graphic Violence, Torture, a rollercoaster of emotions, other stuff in this that I can't even start on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:33:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21749650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koosjunhoe/pseuds/koosjunhoe
Summary: And Younghyun initially feels the guilt of dragging her into his problems in the form of worry that she may come just like him.That, despite all the times she rejected the mentality of a murdering, drug selling, money-grabbing triad, she was turning to it right now. Bora was becoming what she hated the most and all it took was a thought of the act of vengeance against someone who not only hurt her but the one she loved too.He wonders if she's pictured their death all this time.He wonders what Sungjin will think if he tries to explain that Moon Bora, the one who would avoid the topic of anything D6 related, was now actively trying to participate in what she hated.Maybe Sungjin would be happy. Lord knows that Jae would be happy about it - the oldest would be happy to teach Bora everything he knew about death and murder, as well as give her all the extras she never knew she needed. Maybe Sungjin would want her on board and that's hardly any better than Jae spending time with her.He wonders if she's even thought through it.
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K/Original Female Character(s), Kang Younghyun | Young K/Reader
Kudos: 5





	the day you left me

**Author's Note:**

> x you version will be posted on tumblr tomorrow! new url is kvngjoong

Water dripping onto the tiled floor below is what initially wakes him. His mind is pulled from the pleasant ignorance of unconsciousness to the reality he believed would come to him. Despite his constant fear, his perpetual uneasiness to anything that could lead to his hands tied against a wall behind him, Younghyun assumed that he would never truly end up in this position.

He groans, head pounding as he raises it slightly. Though the room is dark, there's enough light shining through the windows on the side for him to see around the room. The dripping is from an old pipe in the top left corner. It appears that he's in an old changing room, though it's not at all familiar to him. 

He tries to move his hands though he soon realises they are tied behind him, too tight for him to try to make his escape. The burning on his wrists means that he's been here for a while. As soon as he tries to shift his arm it aches like he's been doing it in his sleep, too. 

Younghyun ignores the footsteps coming towards him, instead choosing to squirm in his place as he feels water through his jeans and socks. He looks from window to window, back to the only door he can see out of the room, before returning to his own body as his hands frantically search for a way out. 

This _was_ worst case scenario, he thought. 

He had planned for a hostage situation many times before. No matter how many times Sungjin told him his life was worth more than their secrets, he wouldn't have given any one of his enemies an ounce of the satisfaction that they were able to break him. 

They could take out his teeth, stab him with screwdrivers, even break his bones if they really wanted to. Younghyun wouldn't have given up what he knew even if it killed him. 

"Kang Younghyun." The voice isn't familiar though it still catches his attention. He looks towards the exit but doesn't see anyone. He searches for a camera, but that doesn't return any results either. "You know, you're prettier in person. I thought you were just pretty in pictures."

Younghyun's heart beats a little quicker at the words from the man. He frantically looks for somewhere it could come from though still finds no answer. "Who is this?"

"You don't remember me?"

"Not if you don't show me your face," Younghyun states. Another tug at his wrists doesn't get him anything but more pain from burning. "Are you scared of showing me who you are?"

A deep laugh feels the room, coming from near to the exit. Younghyun tries to work out where it's from. It seems to be echoing straight from one of the stalls, but there are no feet he can see to accompany a body. "I'm not the one who should be scared."

"You should," another voice pops up, much quieter. Younghyun looks immediately to his left and is caught off guard by the mask covered face of another, holding a knife close to his face. The other man drags the knife across Younghyun's cheek, drawing the slightest of blood. "Pay attention, _Young K_."

Younghyun scoffs at the other man and rolls his eyes. "Get out my fucking face."

"I don't think you realise yet." Younghyun's eyes are diverted from the man with the mask to the original man who steps out from behind a stall. He recognises the mop of grey-blue hair before anything else. "We are in control here. You should be scared."

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Yoo Kihyun?"

Kihyun, angered by Younghyun's lack of hesitation, gestures to his friend to get closer. Younghyun doesn't wince as the knife is pressed to his throat again. "Can't I visit an old friend?"

"Friend?" Younghyun repeats. He laughs, throwing his head back to move himself away from the knife. "Your only friend is in Daegu. Why are you in Incheon, Kihyun?"

"I think you're mistaken."

Younghyun laughs. "Do you and Min Yoongi not go for lunch every other day still? I'm sorry to hear you broke up."

"We're not in Incheon." Kihyun's words are meant to stir him, and they do. Younghyun looks again to the window and notices the lack of any familiar buildings. Kihyun's lips curl into a smirk as he sees Younghyun try to hide his panic. "I think you've mistaken this situation, Younghyun. We're here to trade with you since you like that so much. After careful consideration, I determined that you would be best to approach. Please do send my condolences to both Sungjin and Jae, but that was a choice we had to make."

"Jae would have been too aggressive to be able to get anything out of him. But you're smart."

Younghyun looks to the masked man, seeing him now with his mask off. He vaguely knows the face but can't be sure. "You talk a lot of shit for someone who doesn't have rep."

"Everyone in the south knows the name Jooheon," he tells Younghyun, "not my fault that _you _don't."

Kihyun hums. "Most people in the South don't know who you are. Which is why we came to you first. it was you or that Australian boy you're so fond of. But, best not to involve the kids, right? He seems like he may be useful to me in the future."

"What do you fucking want?"

"A trade, I told you that." Kihyun steps forward, pulling his phone from the pocket of his brown long coat. He had the trademark _Kihyun _look. The coat, the black polo neck and black jeans. Younghyun knew he wanted Seoul to himself from the very first minute he saw him. "But I suppose I need to be more specific. Something of yours, for the money I need."

Younghyun scowls at Kihyun, kicking his legs a little. "Make your own fucking money. You fuck over enough people to pay whatever debt you have."

"This one is a little… different."

"I think you should show him the picture," Jooheon says, knife now dropped to Younghyun's thigh. He rips the jeans with ease, though doesn't go through onto the skin below. "I don't think he's smart enough to see how serious we are."

Kihyun hums. He swipes a few times on his phone until he reaches what he wants. He places the phone down on the floor and slides it over to Younghyun, though the phone stops just before his legs. "We're keeping her safe. Don't worry."

Younghyun leans as far forward as he could, though when he fully comprehends the picture he wishes he would have looked away. His heart begins to race when he sees the bound figure of a body, _her _body, hair messy and tears streaming down her face. His breathing becomes heavy as he notices more and more of the details in the picture. The cuts she has on her. A heavy bruise on her shoulder. Her ripped clothing. 

"Where is she?"

"We aren't rushing this, Younghyun." Kihyun steps forward, lowering himself to a crouch in front of Younghyun. He picks up his phone and locks it, placing it back in his pocket. "I haven't even told you how much I want in return."

"I will fucking _kill _you, Yoo Kihyun."

Jooheon laughs at the threat. "Whilst you're down there? I don't think so."

"I've struck a deal with Min Yoongi that he will release her when he and I both receive five million dollars each in the accounts we give you," Kihyun says. He returns to a standing position, heading back towards the door. 

"He put you up to this?" Younghyun asks. He knows Min Yoongi well enough to recognise the cheap money tactics. "He's playing you, like he does for everything. Could you not pull this off on your own? Get the whole ten million to yourself? You are pathetic, Yoo Kihyun."

Kihyun shrugs, turning back to Younghyun. "Yet you're the one on the floor with a girlfriend who is about to die. So I don't think I'm too pathetic."

"Genius is a better word," Jooheon chimes in. 

"I like genius," Kihyun confirms, pointing to Jooheon and giving him a thumbs up. He flashes his millionaire grin at Younghyun for the first time and it sends rage through Younghyun's body. "Don't call me pathetic or I will get your hands skinned."

Younghyun scoffs, dragging it out as he twists his hands once more. "You wouldn't do it."

"Jooheon would. I've seen him do it. He enjoys it very much."

"It's nice to see how good my knife work is," Jooheon adds, running the flat of the blade across Younghyun's hand. He pushes a little too hard at the wrist and Younghyun feels the sting as he is cut once more. "I love seeing all the little veins and bones."

The thought sends another shiver down Younghyun's spine. "You are one sick fuck, you know that."

"You have more pressing things on your mind."

Kihyun's statement drags Younghyun's attention back to the one thing he was avoiding. The very man tosses a printed picture of the one he had just shown on the phone towards Younghyun, and Jooheon kicks it further so that it's just to Younghyun's side. He's forced to stare down at it as the two walk towards the exit and leave him with his own thoughts.

He's taken back to reality once more when Kihyun calls to him again, from somewhere he can't comprehend. "Is she worth ten million to you, Younghyun?"

✦✦✦

It was quiet enough to enjoy the rain that was falling from the dark skies. Usually it was a sight for sore eyes; who _really _wanted to stare into the darkness that fell earlier than usual, with the bitter wind wrapping around them and reminding them that it wasn’t even winter yet? There was no acceptance from either Younghyun or Bora to the weather being just about right for them to be pulling their winter coats out from the attic. 

The latter, Bora, instead decides that she will continue to drink coffee as strong and hot as she can take it, and use her boyfriend as a means to keep herself warm. There was nothing better than a morning spent in bed, joking about whatever was going on in the world at the time, with Younghyun’s arms wrapped around her as he pressed kisses to her hairline and told her everything she did (and, unfortunately, did not) want to hear.

“Jae asked how you were, by the way,” Younghyun states, looking up from his phone. He shows her the screen briefly before tapping a quick response. Bora isn’t sure of his reply as Younghyun locks his phone and places it back on the table before she can register what that _actually _meant. “Everyone asks how you are.”

Bora hums softly, thumb holding the place in her book. “And I ask how they are, too.”

“You are allowed to meet them again.”

“I know,” Bora tells him. She places the bookmark on the page she’s saving and sighs. “You know why I don’t _want _to meet them. It’s nothing to do with whether I _can _meet them. I think they’re all lovely and of course they are your friends, but… I feel uncomfortable about it.”

Younghyun fights his frown and attempts to show his understanding. Truthfully? He would never understand the reasoning behind Bora’s thought process. “So you are fine with me being a part of D6, but not them?”

“I don’t love _them_.”

“I just…”

Bora urges him to continue, leaning closer with her elbow pressed onto the wooden table. “Yes?”

“We’ve been together for two and a half years and you don’t seem any closer to accepting who I am.” Younghyun’s defeated tone reminds Bora of all the other times they had this conversation. She did try to avoid it; she wanted to evade acknowledging all of her wonderful boyfriend’s criminal past, present, and future. She worries that maybe it’s coming to the time that his life was truly becoming her own. “I know you hate it, and I wish I could change everything, but no matter happens I’m stuck with those guys until the day I die.”

Bora nods, remaining silent for a moment. She watches Younghyun carefully with thoughts that wander to the future and right back again, though eventually it all results in her placing her hand over his, lips curling into a smile. “You’re stuck with me until then, too.”

“Oh, I am?”

“Of course,” Bora answers. She squeezes his hand slightly, heart warmed when he places his other hand on top of her own afterwards. His thumb gently grazes her skin and sends a shiver down her spine. “I thought you realised I was here to stay when I saved your ass from jail.”

Younghyun rolls his eyes. “I wasn’t going to jail.”

“But, you _were_. I showed up to the police station and paid a hell of a lot of money to get you out on bail. I then had to call Jae and tell him what happened, and spent two weeks in the middle of nowhere with you because there was an immediate threat to your life _because _you got arrested. Kang Younghyun, you forced me to be stuck with you until you fully repay the twenty thousand dollars your dumb ass cost me.”

It was a memory she was stuck with whether she liked it or not. Showing up to the police station and having to request that she pay the money for her boyfriend of two months to be released was _not _the kind of story she wanted to tell everyone. 

That incident was the reason she got a full insight into who Younghyun was, and who that friend of his who always followed him around was. She recalls having to sit in the back of a car as Younghyun and Sungjin, the most diplomatic of all his friends, argued over what they should do with her given the situation at hand. Ten minutes of Younghyun giving reasons as to why Bora should join him in the middle of Taebaek with no way of contacting any of her friends or family, accompanied with ten minutes of Wonpil making an attempt to keep her company, and her fate was decided without any of her input. 

She was pretty angry on the train and refused to speak to Younghyun the entire ride. She realised how serious it was when Jae met them halfway to Taebaek and, for lack thereof a better word, threatened her silence with a knife and pictures of her house. Though Bora didn’t talk to Younghyun for a few days after that again, he managed to convince her it was just a precaution and now they had surpassed that wonderful memory by a year and some other months. 

Younghyun liked to tell the story a little differently, but Bora’s account was the most accurate given that she now avoided all contact with Jae whenever she could, and very rarely agreed to see any of the others on the basis that they didn’t actually do anything to her.

The thought is pushed to the back of her mind as she picks up her coffee with her free hand, bringing it to her lips and blowing on the liquid to cool it just a little. “You know deep down that I accept who you are. I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t accept it.”

“One day you’re going to have to accept it,” Younghyun says. His grip gets a little tighter and brings all of Bora’s attention back to him. “I know that D6 is small right now. We only have Incheon and it’s barely anything but that doesn’t mean we won’t get threatened. When Sungjin starts to think you’re not safe, you’re going to have to listen to him.”

Bora expresses her distaste for his words by pulling her hand away. She ignores his pout, returning to her book that she was so engrossed in earlier. “I didn’t come here to discuss when Sungjin, who knows nothing about _me_, thinks I can’t keep myself out of trouble.”

“It’s not that he thinks you can’t--” 

“I know what you mean, Younghyun.” Bora pushes her hair back from her face, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. She exhales slowly but offers Younghyun a content smile to hopefully take his mind away from what she didn’t want to discuss. “Didn’t you have a contract to be looking through?”

Younghyun groans, looking down to the stack of paper in front of him. “Sungjin doesn’t need it done until next week. Can’t we talk some more?”

“Talk to me about the kitten we are going to buy so that I’m not lonely when you’re away,” Bora says, cocking her head to the side suggestively. Younghyun narrows his eyes at her, hand on the stack of paper he was trying so desperately to avoid. Bora shrugs at his silence. “Or you can just read what Sungjin needed you to read. Your choice.”

Bora would have been crazy to think that Younghyun would pick Sungjin’s work over her. 

✦✦✦

"Did you think about it, _Younghyunie_?"

Despite the pain surging through his limbs, bones aching from not being able to move and still being tied together, the mention of a nickname that only one person calls him drags Younghyun from the depths of hell that he's forced himself into. He looks up, eyes partially closed as he adjusts to the light now shining down on him. 

"Ten million." The repetition of the one number that constantly has been running through Younghyun's mind sends a shiver down his spine. He watches as Kihyun walks towards him, though a second figure follows him in. "I know it's a lot of money, but with all the work that D6 has been doing... it's pretty much a drop in the ocean, right? Or do you falsify your money to make yourselves look better."

Younghyun bites his tongue to stop himself from regretting his reply. In his mind, he's screaming and shouting, he's already pulled a gun to Yoo Kihyun's head and had no regrets about it. Given the situation in real life, he knows that isn't possible. "How am I supposed to pay it when you have me tied here, unable to contact anyone?"

Younghyun's reply is received from silence from Kihyun, though the other person clicks their tongue and starts walking forward. When they're finally in the light, Younghyun starts to recognise them though it's only loosely. The bleach blonde hair, the heavy eyeliner, the babyface. Younghyun kicks himself when he realises. "Why do you think I'm here today?"

"Because you don't trust Kihyun to get this done himself," Younghyun replies. He laughs to himself, pulling at his wrists again. "Why else would you be here, Yoongi? We're pretty far from Daegu. Will the money even cover your travel expenses?"

Min Yoongi pauses where he walks. "I'm glad we chose you over those other friends of yours. What's his name... Seung... Sung..."

"Sungjin," Kihyun informs. 

"Sungjin, yes. The leader of whatever you have going on in Incheon. I don't get it, Younghyun, how are you still competing with the Kim Brothers, Unnamed, even Fourth Triad? Do you have some kind of deal?"

Younghyun scoffs. "You don't need a deal to compete."

"If you had a deal we wouldn't have been able to find you on the street and take you hostage, and ask for ten million to release your girlfriend," Kihyun states. 

He smiles when Younghyun meets his eyes with pure anger. It only encourages Younghyun's thoughts for what he will do to Yoo Kihyun when he gets out of this place - it starts with torture and ends with _death_. He has no doubts as to getting out of this situation, and that Bora will make it out too. 

He trusts Sungjin and Jae to be looking for both of them. He knows, at the bottom of his heart, that Wonpil has Chan working on this too and within a few days they'll both be found. His only concern is for The Clan and DTA themselves - they both had a reputation for brutality and not giving a care for the people around them. 

If he plays his cards right then _he _is in control.

"Cash or card?" Yoongi asks, interrupting Kihyun. He moves closer to Younghyun, crouching down in front of the youngest. "Fortunately for us _all_, by the end of today Kihyun and I can have our money and you can be with that girlfriend of yours. By all means, I think she's worth ten mil. I had a good look at her before I came here."

Kihyun hums. "If I was with someone who had a body like that and lips that soft I would probably pay in the hundreds."

"You can't put a price on love, Kihyun," Yoongi mocks, looking back with a smirk. Kihyun hums again, pulling out his phone and pressing some buttons. Yoongi only looks back to Younghyun and shrugs. "I guess in your case, you can."

Younghyun fights back the words that come to his mind in the hopes he can stay calm. He _had_ to be in control. "I'll give it to you when I know she's okay."

"I thought you might say that."

Yoongi turns back to Kihyun, waiting for him to turn back. A few seconds pass and Kihyun returns, phone pressed to his ear as he gives Yoongi a thumbs up. The eldest nods, reaching out his hand so that he can take the phone. Younghyun only gets to see the name on the phone for a slight second, though he makes out the syllable _won_. 

The phone is passed from Yoongi to Younghyun, though there's some reluctance. Yoongi holds it by Younghyun's ear, though his arm is stiff and he makes sure there's a gap between Younghyun's ear and the phone. He gives a final warning that's for Younghyun's entire stay. "Don't do _anything_ stupid."

Younghyun stays silent for a moment. He's met with an eye roll from Kihyun, though Yoongi looks on without any emotions. Younghyun's heart starts to beat a little faster as he builds up the courage to hear her voice. 

"Hello?" he says, stutter becoming prevalent as he looks away from Yoongi. He doesn't hear anything in return, so takes a deep breath and tries again. "It's me, Bora."

Younghyun's heart breaks when he hears a choked cry at the other end of the phone line. He tries to think positive, look at the good in this. "You're okay."

"I'm okay, baby," Younghyun confirms, body tensing. She sounds hurt. Her voice is strained. "Are you hurt?"

"Not badly. I'm okay."

"I'm going to get you out of this, okay?" Younghyun says, avoiding eye contact with both Yoongi and Kihyun. He leans in closer to the phone and is surprised that Yoongi doesn't take it away from him. "Just... promise me you will keep yourself safe. You do whatever they need you to do. I will see you soon, baby."

Bora's quiet hum confirms his suspicions that she's got others with her. _Won_. Think Younghyun. It's relevant. "I'm not as important as you are, Younghyunie. I love you."

"I'm not---"

Yoongi pulls the phone away before he can answer, ending the call and handing the phone back to Kihyun. The pair watch Younghyun, looking for any weaknesses in him. He realises before them that he would pay the money even if it ended up affecting the others. 

The pair share a look, which results in Kihyun nodding once to confirm whatever plan they had in action. Kihyun looks to Younghyun with a smile, though it's not one with intention behind it. "I'll be back later for the money, Kang Younghyun."

Younghyun watches Kihyun disappear up the stairs, preferring to watch him over Yoongi. He knows that Yoongi is watching his every move to try and work him out. Younghyun wonders if Yoongi knows how close he is to snapping. It's unlikely; the youngest of the three was a brick wall when it came to emotions and it was the reason he was so comfortable giving Bora free reign most of the time. 

He trusts himself enough to get her out of situations like this, though he would admit he never expected it to come. 

Yoongi places a hand on Younghyun's shoulder, patting it a few times. "It's a shame. We probably could have worked well together."

Younghyun stares down to the floor as Yoongi takes his leave, likely to go and discuss what happens next with Kihyun. His thoughts are stuck on Yoongi for a moment too long and he's reminded of a brief idea he had at some point between unconsciousness when he was first brought here. 

He calls Yoongi's name, stopping the elder from leaving. Yoongi looks back expectantly, eyebrow raised. Younghyun needs to be in control. "Why can't we work together?"

✦✦✦

Younghyun is, by all means, a hopeless romantic that spent his entire school life reading books about what love was, exploring how it was shown, and having an unrealistic expectation for the future that he would find someone who was so effortlessly in love that they spent every waking minute thinking of him. 

He had a life planned out where love was the centre of everything. The only problem was, as with every piece of literature, the man's feelings weren't ever shared. If they were then it was pretty strict and reserved, something that Younghyun thought was the standard for every man. So when he met Bora and found himself in the shoes of someone like Tess Durbeyfield, he was unsure of what to feel.

He knew he loved her from the first time they kissed. 

It was stupid of him to think that before then he had any emotional connection besides a crush, though feeling how she placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him so gently, lips perfect against his own, he was shown that he could experience love just like in those books that presented him an alternate universe he wanted as his own.

He found a reality that he thought to be false slowly becoming his own, and it was all because of what she did for him and how he felt for her. 

"This new guy started at work," Bora states, fingers in Younghyun's hair as she combs the lengths gently. He hums, opening one eye to look up to her. "Name's Hyungwon. He just transferred from Gwangju so he could be with his girlfriend."

Younghyun's heart warms a little at the thought. "Remember when you moved from Seoul to be here with me?"

"Unfortunately I do."

"Don't sound so offended, you could have said no." Younghyun opens both his eyes to watch her carefully. They had a running joke about Bora giving up her life in Seoul to be with him, and that she secretly regretted it because Incheon was her least favourite place in South Korea. "I remember telling you _specifically _that I would visit you every weekend."

Bora scrunches up her nose as she shakes her head. "I don't think that would have been sufficient for me."

"Because you don't get to see me every day?"

"Because _you _would call me every night and ask me to come to Incheon, and then I would have to drive to work every day, and you would whine when I'm tired because I have to get up two hours earlier." Younghyun pouts, though knows that it is _very much _the case. "I don't miss Seoul. I would miss you, on the other hand."

Younghyun's heart is, again, warmed by her words. He reaches for her hand that was resting on his chest, bringing it up to his lips so he can press one gentle kiss to her knuckles. "Tell me about this Hyungwon kid. Do I need to do a background check?"

"He doesn't seem like the type to be involved in anything dangerous. But then again, neither do you, so..."

"I don't look dangerous?" Younghyun questions. He narrows his eyes at her, then glances down to his arms and chest. "I know I have the body to fit someone who is dangerous, I know I'm tall enough to be dangerous, so what is it that makes you think I'm not dangerous?"

Bora shrugs, pushing his hair back from his face. "You whine when I don't play with your hair and you sleep with a blanket. You also have to be reminded to eat vegetables and the last time you had to sleep without a light on, you cried."

"I'm scared of the dark..."

"Dangerous criminals aren't afraid of the dark, Younghyunie," Bora tells him. She starts to draw on his chest with her index finger which sends a slight shiver down his spine. His eyes fall shut again as she continues. "You do, however, look the most dangerous of all your friends. Maybe Sungjin is a competitor, but I think you look the most intimidating. That is until Jae speaks."

Younghyun agrees with a slight nod. "He has to be like that, though."

"Well yeah, he doesn't _look _like he would stab you and not feel any remorse. It's probably an advantage for you guys. They expect you or Sungjin to deal the damage and then Jae whips out the weapon. The only downfall is Wonpil. He is far too happy and he makes it look like one of you guys had to bring your brother because your parents would be mad otherwise."

"He has his moments when you're scared of him." Younghyun opens his eyes again, eyebrows slightly furrowed as he attracts Bora's gaze. "Yah, why are you avoiding telling me about this kid?"

Bora shrugs. "I don't know what to tell you. I've only really spoken with him... three times."

"What's his family name?"

"What, so you can ask Sungjin to check if he is at all related to anyone who ever committed a crime?" Bora shakes her head, placing her hand flat on Younghyun's chest. "He's harmless. He literally is too shy to talk to anyone and he tried to make friends with me by bringing in his girlfriend's brownies."

Younghyun groans as his head is pushed back further into the pillow. "Do you wanna make some brownies tonight?"

"Do you want to know that Chae Hyungwon isn't a threat?"

"So his family name is Chae?" Younghyun questions. His lips curl into a smile as Bora stops moving altogether. "Baby, if you really don't want me to look into him I won't. I just worry about your safety. We don't try to hide anything between us and that makes you collateral damage."

Bora hums, absent-mindedly beginning to braid Younghyun's hair. He realises she's quiet and looks up to her, though doesn't speak. He realises that she's thinking about _something_, though he isn't sure what it might be. "I trust you to make sure I'm safe."

"Thank you," he says, reaching for her hand again. He squeezes it slightly, breathing out slowly. "I know that you hate me trying to force my lifestyle on you but... it's all I know. And I trust you when you say that this Hyungwon guy is no trouble. If you're not worried about him, then I'm not either."

Bora smiles down at him, moving her fingers down to his jaw as she ghosts the tips over his cheek. "But do you still want some brownies?"

Younghyun can't help but chuckle at her words, nodding as he does so. "Fuck yeah I want brownies. White chocolate chips in them, too."

✦✦✦

Yoongi sits across the table, fingers tapping on the wood as he stares across to Younghyun. The pair only look to each other, no one talking, no one daring enough to suggest the other do something. Younghyun knows he should be the one to talk, say what he wanted to when he suggested they work together, but deep down he knows that there's a problem with what he's doing.

He hasn't spoken with Sungjin about this, nor any of the others. He's not sure if they're coming for him, he's not sure if they've yet realised that he's gone missing and that Bora is in danger too. Maybe it's the week or so he's been locked in that damp, dark room. Paranoia is starting to hit him harder than before.

He tries to work up the courage to speak though he's interrupted when one of the others at the table speaks instead. "Hyung, why are we here when _he _doesn't have anything to say?"

"He does," Yoongi states, turning to the blue-haired boy. He slides a lighter across the table and the blue-haired boy catches it easily. Younghyun hasn't been introduced, he only knows they're members of DTA. "You didn't have to be here."

Blue-hair nods, expression fallen. "You said it was important."

"Taehyung, honestly, shut up," another says, this one with light brown hair and glasses. He's smaller than, as Younghyun now knows him to be, Taehyung. "If you weren't here, what would you do?"

Taehyung shrugs. "D6 mean nothing to us, yet here we are waiting for Young K to tell us how we can work together which is pretty much impossible because they offer nothing to us."

"You know that's not true," Younghyun says. The six men look to him, surprised that he had the courage to speak. Younghyun clears his throat before he continues. "We hold Incheon. That's the closest you're going to get to Seoul without actually being in Seoul."

The one with tattoos across his hand and arm decides to speak, eliciting nods from the others. "And? We could just ask G7 for help."

"Or those kids you've given Ansan to."

"I'm the one here with you right now, so just ask me and I can help you out with getting Seoul. Why involve anyone else? I am _right _here for you to ask for anything. You're the ones in control here."

Yoongi is silent for a moment. He stops tapping his fingers and turns to the one with tattoos. "Jungkook, what's at risk if we break the partnership with The Clan?"

"Quite a lot," Jungkook answers, "but we could easily replace them, I suppose. Expand our territory out to Cheongdo and Muju, maybe even to Ulsan and Sancheong."

One of the two left to speak, the one with bleached hair, continues, "CIX has a feud with The Clan because Kihyun-ssi ordered Yonghee and Byounggon to leave The Clan because they weren't good enough. It will be easy to get to Ateez and SF9, BAP I'm not so sure of."

"Thank you, Beomgyu." Yoongi looks to the final boy left to speak, raising a brow. "What would you do, Yeonjun?"

Yeonjun looks around the room for a moment. Younghyun guesses that DTA has expanded and brought in some new people who will be looking at higher levels. The two boys who spoke last don't look like they were even twenty yet. They were probably around the age of some of the boys Chan had been recruiting.

Younghyun catches Yeonjun's gaze directly, who only nods. "We don't even know what he is offering us, yet."

"All the money." Younghyun doesn't mean for his voice to sound so panicked, but it does, and Taehyung picks up on it first. He ignores Taehyung's playful smirk as best he can. "All the money and we will work with you, and offer you a connection to Seoul."

Yoongi sighs. "We could just go the other side of Seoul and use the mountain area to get in. Incheon isn't really that important to us."

"But that girl is important to him," Taehyung states, "why don't you offer a few more things to us, Young K?"

Younghyun's jaw clenches tight. "Like what? What else do you think I've got?"

"Money," Beomgyu tells the room. He pulls out a document, handing it over to Yoongi who takes it gratefully. "Connections, too. To G7, to Stray Kids. You're on good terms with Jangmi too. We could use all of that, too."

"Then what do you want? Tell me and I will make it happen."

"Double the money, give us Ansan."

Younghyun looks to the only one of the group he doesn't know the name of. He didn't know much about DTA outside of Yoongi but it seems that he meant their entire collection of higher powers. "I'll need to talk to Chan to make that happen."

"That can be done. Hoseok, get a phone."

Hoseok, Younghyun now knows him as, nods and leaves the room quickly to follow his order. It leaves Younghyun with the rest of the hostile hosts who equally did not want to be there with him. He looks from Taehyung to Jungkook, to the two younger members who avoid his eyes at all costs.

He doesn't know what the fuck he is doing. Chan wasn't going to give up Ansan but it would give him time to organise something. If he had to kill Min Yoongi himself then he would do it, but the one thing on his mind was whether Bora would be okay at the end of this. That's what mattered to him.

"Twenty million and Ansan," Yoongi says, mostly to Younghyun, though he has all eyes on him again, "you finally put a price on that girl of yours. Do you think it's a fair trade?"

Younghyun scoffs. "You'll get the most benefit from working with us."

"Who said we were working with you?" Jungkook asks.

"We just want Ansan," Taehyung finishes, smiling again. Younghyun doesn't like the way that boy looks so innocent. "But the offer of working together was nice. You'll be working with those Kids a lot more now. So enjoy that instead."

Yoongi starts tapping on the table again. It irritates Younghyun to the bone though his hands are still handcuffed to the chair he's sat on. "I don't know how we're going to explain this to Kihyun. You know what he's like when he doesn't get his own way."

"And Hyungwon gets pretty mad when he did something for no reward," Taehyung adds.

_Hyungwon_. That's where he knew it from. The new guy at Bora's work that she was convinced had nothing to do with anything related to criminal activities. Younghyun should have known there was a problem when she said he was from Gwangju. He should have done something about it when Sungjin mentioned that The Clan were heading their way.

"To think he faked an accounting qualification for nothing." Yoongis words are sour and bring a Younghyun to a reality he wanted to avoid so desperately. No control. No lead in the situation. He's responding to whatever Yoongi and his band of wild dogs wanted and there is nothing he can do to change that. "It doesn't matter, though. Because a deal is a deal, _right_?"

✦✦✦

Younghyun’s fingers idly tap on the table, thoughts moving from one to another as Sungjin and Jae debate the same topic for the fifth time today. It started with a discussion of how they were going to maintain their position in the West districts of Seoul, which lead to Jae coming up with a few ideas as to how they could make sure that both the Kim Brothers and Unnamed knew that D6 weren’t _just_ a group of kids who saw an opportunity and took it. 

Sungjin never liked the idea of violence and avoided it as much as possible. His calm demeanour was a match for his quiet ways of doing things that usually ended with the best result. Unfortunately, Jae was the other end of the spectrum and preferred to go in loud so that everyone knew who was in control of the situation from the very beginning. Hence the knife to Bora’s throat that one time. Younghyun knew his elder would never have _actually _hurt Bora.

“I can ask Chan to check it,” Jae suggests, pointing to a road on a map he has laid out in front of him. Sungjin looks over curiously, though shakes his head upon further inspection. Jae rolls his eyes and turns to Wonpil, who has clearly lost interest too. “Got any suggestions? Nothing I say is good enough, clearly.”

Sungjin sighs, sliding the map away from Jae. He draws a line across some buildings, then hands it back to Jae. “You’re missing the point. It’s not that what you’re telling me isn’t good enough, we just can’t overstep a boundary and risk something happening to us all.”

“Nothing will happen if we send Chan in. No one knows who he is.”

Wonpil nods in agreement. “Chan is pretty much invisible on the radar. No one would question if he was hanging around the building. He looks like a tourist at best.”

“And if someone does catch onto him, JB has always offered us help. You know they will take Chan or any of the other boys in should they be caught,” Jae reminds Sungjin. He circles an intersection on the map, one which Younghyun doesn’t recognise. 

As far as politics went, Younghyun didn’t care. He understood the basics - we don’t like _these _people, but we do like _those_. He only ever agreed to go into _business_ with Sungjin because there was a promise of money at the end of it, and fortunately Younghyun was great with anything money related. They had met at university and when Sungjin found a very big gap in the market around the Incheon area, he suggested that they form D6 off the back of some illegal dealings and money laundering. 

Then Jae got involved, a pretty reckless kid who moved from America due to his family believing that Korea could do him some good. From what Jae had told them, he was almost arrested for something along the lines of assault, though they still never found out the entire reason that he could have been arrested and they never asked after the first time he told them. Wonpil was a similar story, a kid who was on the verge of being arrested for illegal activities but knew the dark web better than any of the others. 

The odd one out was Dowoon, the youngest of the original members of D6. Sungjin brought him in one day and said that he was joining. No one other than Sungjin knew where the boy came from, though Dowoon was pretty much a jack of all trades and could do anything that was asked of him (unlike the others, who had very specific ways of doing things).

“I don’t want to involve anyone else in this.” Sungjin takes the map back, looking over the roads before folding the map and placing it in his jacket pocket. “Jinyoung told me that he’s seen Shin Wonho and Lee Jooheon around. He thought they may have been working for VAV but they’re not. The only people that The Clan have connections to are DTA.”

Jae raises his brow, leaning forward as he finds himself intrigued. “I finally get to meet Lee Jooheon?”

“I didn’t say they were here. Just around.” 

“If they’re in Yongin then they are most definitely coming here,” Younghyun states. He gathers the attention of the room quickly, given that he usually didn’t talk too much during these kinds of meetings. He gestures of the board behind Jae, specifically to the pictures of Min Yoongi and Yoo Kihyun. “You know they work on the basis of money. We’re the richest outside of Seoul. They’re not trying for G7.”

Jae hums. “And Chan doesn’t have that much money to attract them.”

“We’ve avoided all interactions with them, though?” Wonpil looks to Sungjin with questioning eyes as he’s reminded of all the times the leader told them to avoid both The Clan and DTA with all they could. 

Younghyun specifically remembers Sungjin mentioning the likelihood of having someone like Lee Jooheon end up on their doorstep should they overstep the mark. He nods, agreeing with Wonpil. “We have, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t shown up on their radar. You know Kihyun wants to get closer to Seoul.”

“We just need to be careful,” Sungjin tells them, “get that message to Chan and the others too. I’ll let JB know. If either DTA or The Clan are here, it means there will be problems. You know what happened the last time DTA came to Seoul.”

Jae rolls his eyes dramatically. “I hope they come back and finish the job with Unnamed.”

“_I _hope that you will take this as a warning. You know what they’re like. Don’t leave the house without telling someone else where you are. Make sure your close friends and family know what is going on. If we’re careful, nothing will happen. But we should set up a code for if something happens. I’ll text you what it and when best to use it. To be careful.”

Younghyun understands that it’s a precaution, just like all the others Sungjin gives. His mind starts to wander when Jae brings up another topic to be discussed, drifting to Bora and how he was supposed to tell her. He couldn’t imagine sitting her down and spelling it out to her. 

_You could get hurt, so I need you to keep a low profile and avoid contact with anyone new_.

He’d tried that before. Younghyun tried _so _hard to make Bora understand that he warned her with a heavy heart; he didn’t want to have to tell her not to leave the house, not to enjoy her time, and not spend any time with him on the outside of their apartment. She said that she understood it, that she accepted everything he was, but Younghyun knew as soon as he tried to tell her that she was in danger because of him, she would dismiss him as easily as he did with the idea of him letting something happen to her.

✦✦✦

"Chan, it's me."

Younghyun looks back to Yoongi and Hoseok who are sat on the opposite side of the room. Whilst Yoongi is texting, Hoseok is loosely paying attention to what's going on with Younghyun's call. He looks back to the wall, though doesn't move.

"Are you okay?" Chan asks, urgency in his voice. Younghyun can hear him scrambling to something, or rather, _someone_. "We've been trying to get in contact with you, what's happened?"

Younghyun hums. "Some things have come up, so I've had to spend some time with my cousins in Jeju, due to a family illness. It's a long story. But I've had some thoughts whilst I've been here."

"Like what?"

"Ansan," Younghyun says. He pauses, for a little longer than he needed to, hoping that Sungjin had also told Chan about the code for them being in danger. He bites on his bottom lip as he plans his words carefully. "Control of Ansan should be given up. It would be more effective if you joined us in Incheon."

Younghyun knows that he's on speaker from the echo in the room. The silence also means that Chan is a step ahead of him - there are other people in the room. Chan clears his throat before answering. "Who would control Ansan?"

"It will be better for internal growth." Younghyun ignores Chan's question and again glances back to Hoseok and Yoongi, the latter of which now has his phone to his ear. Hoseok still watches with discontent, clearly wishing that he was elsewhere. There's a stick in Younghyun's back but he doesn't know what's causing it. "If we have full, unmatched authority in Incheon, then we can make a move on Seoul."

Younghyun doesn't expect a reply, and he doesn't get one straight away. There's still silence over the phone, only static in his ear as he slowly walks over to the barred window. He can feel Hoseok's stare become a little deeper. _Come on, Chan, there's something amiss here._

He does worry at first, that was a given. Younghyun panics that Chan won't question anything due to his inexperience but his distrust is misplaced when he hears a hushed whisper. It goes on for a while before he gets the response he's looking for, and it comes from Dowoon of all people. "Hyung, are you in Incheon?"

"No, it's not that hard, Chan. Why would that be the case?"

"Gwangju?" Dowoon asks. He's met with silence from Younghyun again. "Is it Daegu?"

Younghyun hums. "Either, I'm not sure. What I do know is that I'm not taking no for an answer. Ansan won't be your territory anymore. It's too close to Seoul and you're not in a position to sit there and deal with the consequences of people like the Kim Brothers or Unnamed deciding they want to expand."

"Stay on the phone for another minute, we're tracking the call," Chan says, voice a little louder than before. He can hear another dialling tone and assumes that it's Dowoon calling Sungjin or Jae. "Do they have Bora?"

Younghyun does his best to keep his emotions out of it. "Unfortunately that's how the game works, Chan, you just haven't been in it long enough. _Of course_ that's the case."

"I'll find her," Chan tells him. The words alone ease him a little because he knows that, of everyone, Chan is the most trustworthy. "Are you hurt?"

"No. You're wrong."

The phone is passed to another person and Younghyun is relieved to hear Dowoon again. "Sungjin knows. He's on his way here. We're going to find you."

"Ansan has to be given up tonight," Younghyun warns them. He hears one of the others tell Chan that they've got a signal and he knows he has to give up the phone. When he hears Hoseok's chair scrape against the concrete floor he realises that the likelihood of _his _plan succeeding is low. "I won't tell you again, okay. Tonight. Everyone out of there. Don't cause any problems."

✦✦✦

"_Oh_." Younghyun's voice drops when he spots two men coming towards him. He knows Bora is looking at him, confused, though he tries to act like he hasn't already spotted anything. Bora isn't stupid and she can read him like a book as always. "So, did you want to order something?"

Bora hums. "Jae and Dowoon are walking this way. Shouldn't we wait for them?"

"How did you..."

"Reflection," Bora says, gesturing to the window of the storefront they're sat outside of. Younghyun looks back and sighs when he can also clearly see Jae's wide smile directed at both of them.

"I didn't plan this," Younghyun says. He reaches for her hands and is surprised that she doesn't pull them away. Instead, she stares at him with the look of someone who really doesn't care. "I don't know what they want. They won't stay long."

Bora nods, now pulling her hands away from Younghyun's. She reaches for her phone, deciding to occupy herself that way to avoid speaking with either of the others. Younghyun bites down on his tongue as Jae grabs a chair from another table and pulls it to the side adjacent to Younghyun, Dowoon doing the same opposite to Jae.

He doesn't say a word to either of them, opting to look down to the table and pick at the sleeve of his shirt. Jae taps his forearm causing Younghyun to look up to him. He's met with the same wide smile, but this time he sees that Jae is a little less pleased than first established.

"Yes, Jae?"

Jae keeps his smile as he talks. "Nice to see you, Younghyun. Would have been better if you answered your phone."

"I'm busy," Younghyun says. Bora's eyes briefly glance up to them, though she stays quiet. "This better be important."

"I got a call from Minho, he spotted Lim Changkyun in your area last night."

Younghyun turns to Dowoon, surprised to hear his words. "Lim Changkyun? IM?"

"The one and only," Jae confirms, "not sure if he knows where you live, but we do know that Seungmin also spotted him at Bora's work building a few days ago too. There's a clear and present risk that you're ignoring."

"I'm not ignoring it."

"I know what Lim Changkyun looks like and I haven't seen him," Bora interjects, looking to Jae. Younghyun can hear her dislike for Jae in her voice and hopes that she won't go too far with how she speaks to him. Jae wasn't stupid, but he could be considered a loose cannon sometimes. "Younghyun is fine. I'm fine. Can we please go back to what we were doing? I want to order food."

Jae hums. "Great, we haven't eaten."

"Jae, this isn't cool."

"Neither is you ignoring my calls." Jae calls for a waiter, sitting across his chair so that he's facing Younghyun directly. He mouths something to Dowoon which Younghyun doesn't catch. "We need to make you realise how serious this. You're both in danger."

Dowoon places a stack of files in front of Younghyun, each marked in order of who they were about. It grows his curiosity, as well as Bora's who looks over to see what he's been given, though he still isn't satisfied with the reasons for them interrupting his date with Bora.

They didn't often get to leave the house together or have lunch in an outside setting. They were both too busy to have an official date night and Younghyun appreciated the times that he would be able to spend an entire hour or two with Bora, nothing but _them _on his mind. Trust Jae to be the one to ruin that. Younghyun knew that it would only grow Bora’s anger for him.

Still he decides to give it a chance. He looks to Dowoon for an explanation, which the youngest is happy to give. "Chan and Jeongin got some information for me. This is all you need to know about each of the confirmed leaders of The Clan. Son Hyunwoo. Yoo Kihyun. Lim Changkyun. Lee Jooheon. Shin Wonho."

"But there are others who we're yet to confirm."

"So if I read this I will understand why I should be worried about them?"

Jae shakes his head. "You'll understand the motive they, especially Kihyun, have to come after _you_."

"Me?"

Dowoon nods, picking up Kihyun's file and flipping through a few pages. He stops somewhere in the middle on a page with a blue tab. Younghyun recognises Chan's handwriting on a post-it note when Dowoon hands it back to him. _Possible reason for hostage, to be confirmed in writing._

"Kihyun is worse than Koo Junhoe when it comes to money," Dowoon says, "Chan thinks that you're the easiest to target and the best to target in terms of value. If they get a hold of your spending then they'll know how much you can afford. Everyone knows we're rich but you're smart and you invest."

Jae hums, tilting his head from side to side. "I don't know if I would call that smart now. But yeah. You're in danger because you've got far too much money for any of us to try and hide."

"This is all hearsay," Younghyun says, placing the file back down. He catches Bora's eyes for a moment and decides that he would rather spend his time with her. "I appreciate your concern but it's fine. I'll catch up later. I'll read everything and let Sungjin know what I think."

Dowoon is quick to stop Younghyun by grabbing his shoulder. "Don't go to Sungjin."

"Why?"

"Come directly to us," Jae says, "we did all the research, we know what we're doing."

Younghyun is ready to call them out, though Bora beats him to it. She locks her phone and places it back down on the table, looking between Jae and Dowoon. "It sounds like you haven't told Sungjin any of this and you're concerned that he might get annoyed at you for doing this without Younghyun's consent. Am I wrong?"

"Sungjin knows that we're concerned for Younghyun."

Younghyun rolls his eyes at Jae. "Come back to me when Sungjin agrees that this _evidence _isn't just circumstantial and there is a genuine threat to one of us."

Jae is obviously pissed, Younghyun can tell by his abrupt movements and how he pushes the chair back to the table it came from without any care for the loud noise it makes as metal scrapes against the floor. Dowoon follows but is still respectful and bows as a goodbye to Younghyun.

Younghyun is ready to return to discussing what new Netflix show to watch but is stopped by Jae returning with his hood pulled up this time. Jae leans down to him, face directly in front of Younghyun's, hand on the collar of his shirt. There are not many times that Jae is completely serious, it's very much a rare occurrence, but Younghyun knows that _this _is one of those times.

Jae has a dark look in his eyes as he speaks that chills Younghyun to the core. "You know that this is serious but you're choosing to ignore it. Ignoring it won't make it go away. You're just making yourself less prepared for the inevitable."

✦✦✦

He hadn't seen daylight in a day or two.

The effect of the constant darkness had meant that Younghyun didn't know what day it was, whether it was day or not, and if there had been any progress into what was happening regarding Bora. For all he knew, Yoongi was sitting outside waiting for him to crack so that all his money could be taken. Younghyun was close to it. He thought that maybe, and it was a strong maybe, if Hoseok or Taehyung came in here and offered to let him go immediately if he sold out D6 he would do so.

For Bora, he would. That was a fact.

He had always picked Bora over them, whether she saw it or not. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that if Sungjin ever made him pick either her or them, he would be in a different country planning a new life with her before the sun was down. That was simple in his head.

Jungkook and Taehyung had moved him at some point. They dragged him down a corridor and to a room that was about two square metres and had one door in and out. He never liked the dark and being stuck here was proving it to him. The only way he kept himself calm was because Bora was at the very top of his priorities, not himself.

No food, just water every so often. Younghyun at least got fed by The Clan who knew they needed him for this money. Fuck the money at this point. He didn't understand why they hadn't tried to get it from him yet.

His optimism was gone, too. Chan traced the signal but who knows if he's in the same part of the country anymore. They could have drugged him and actually taken him to Daegu; he was practically their property at this point and no one could argue about that. Younghyun had become a pawn in DTA's game and no matter what he did, no matter what he offered, they'd always have leverage over him.

They knew he was going to give up anything for Bora.

He can hear footsteps down the corridor, ones which he doesn't particularly recognise. He'd had Jungkook, Taehyung, Yeonjun, and Beomgyu visit him down here to make sure he was still breathing so he knew when it was them, but this wasn't familiar. It was too loud to be Yoongi, and from Jungkook's conversation with Taehyung, Hoseok wasn't in the country for another week and a half at least.

Younghyun decides to play dumb, using his feet that are tied together to push himself to the corner of the room. He turns himself inwards, bringing his knees closer to his chest and making sure that his face is as close to the wall as possible.

He calms his breathing as much as he can so that he is barely able to be heard in the corner. He takes his final deep breath as the handle of the door is turned, and he shuts his eyes when the specs of light from the corridor begin to shine through.

The person at the door doesn't move for a moment. Younghyun opens his right eye, the one completely covered by the wall, trying to listen for any movements from the person. There's nothing. It's completely still.

He fears that it may be someone he knows, but before he can make the decision to turn around and stop worrying for his own life, the person calls out to him. "Kang Younghyun?"

The voice isn't one he directly recognises, either. He doesn't move at first, deciding to wait to see what they do. He keeps his breaths shallow at the sound of footsteps get closer, just until a hand is laid on his upper arm.

"Younghyun," the person repeats. Deciding that this was a chance being handed to him, Younghyun turns ever so slightly to meet the eyes of the man who called him. He sees a white-blond haired man with a black suit on, staring down at him with a gun in one hand. "Park Sungjin sent me."

Younghyun's eyes widen at the mention of Sungjin's name. He's still wary but something tells him that this isn't a joke. "Sungjin did?"

"I'm Kim Namjoon. We've spoken on the phone."

His suspicions are confirmed by Namjoon, one of the higher-ups of DTA's biggest rivals, Bangtan. They had spoken on the phone and Younghyun didn't expect to ever see Namjoon in real life. That was mostly because Sungjin and Seokjin never reached an agreement in what they could do for each other but there was a mutual understanding between the two groups - don't attack one another, because there is no reason to.

Younghyun turns fully to Namjoon eyes still questioning as to his arrival. "What are you here for?"

"Sungjin wanted me to check you were still alive," Namjoon says. The boy places his two fingers below Younghyun's jaw and presses down slightly. "He also wanted me to tell you that they are looking for Bora and that Chan found some information at a building that they may have had her in. They are still looking for her, so can't remove you until she is taken first."

"Okay, that's... okay."

Namjoon nods once, removing his hands from Younghyun and standing shortly afterwards. "The Clan are still working with DTA. There hasn't been any change. They are playing you."

"How do you know?" Younghyun questions.

"There has been no movement in Ansan. Chan stepped down like you asked however there was no sign of Yoongi arriving in Ansan, and there still isn't. We think it may have been a ploy to get you to show your weaknesses. They will still be trying to get money from you until you're rung dry. Whatever they ask for, you say no."

Younghyun shakes his head, immediately protesting. "I won't say no. They'll do something to Bora if I refuse. You know that as well as I do."

"Then play it smart. Keep stringing them along. Don't give them any of your money. Sungjin is working on finding Bora, and Seokjin is the one who will be taking down Min Yoongi."

"Is there any time frame as to when that will happen?"

Namjoon shakes his head. He places the gun down on the floor and pulls a knife out of his pocket. He brings it to Younghyun's hands and slowly eases the knife through the rope to free his hands. "Unfortunately there are no signs as to where she is being held, so they are having to do a slow search. G7 have offered to help as well. Sungjin asked me to give you this, too."

He pauses with the rope to pull out a phone from his back pocket. It was an older one, fully charged, likely to last a while. After he places the phone on Younghyun's lap, Namjoon goes back to cutting the rope. Younghyun is left to inspect the phone from a distance. He trusts Sungjin, but he isn't sure as to how far he trusts any members of Bangtan.

The best part is the feeling of his limbs becoming free. Once the final part of the rope has been ripped, Younghyun brings his arms forward and stretches his wrists out in front of him, clicking them as he rolls them in circles. Namjoon leaves a replacement rope on the floor, one that looks similar to the original, which Younghyun can put on should he need to.

"We will be in touch by that phone. I will be back at some point in a week with another one, fully charged. It will let us know if you've been moved and obviously we can tell you if we have any updates."

Younghyun only finds it in him to nod, the worry setting in that Bora hasn't been contacted and still hasn't been found. He swallows hard, thanking Namjoon with the bow of his head. "Thank you for helping us with this, Namjoon. We will repay your help."

"Getting back at Yoongi is help enough," Namjoon tells him, retreating to the door. He bows too, a level of respect made between them. "Stay safe, Younghyun. We will find Bora."

✦✦✦

"Hyungwon showed me pictures of Gwangju," Bora states, alerting Younghyun to her presence in the kitchen. He turns back to her, hand kept on the handle of the pan and the wooden spoon. "It's really pretty. Can we go?"

Younghyun hates saying no to anyone, but in particular, he hates saying no to Moon Bora. Not only for the fact that he loves her and can't bear to say no, but also because she could win a competition for whining if she wanted to. He's become more resistant to her whining recently but he still knew that if she kept it up, he would eventually give into her.

So he smiles, looking back to the stove. "You want to go to Gwangju."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No," Younghyun tells her. He taps the wooden spoon on the edge of the pan before discarding it in the sink. He turns to her, leaning on the kitchen side with his arms crossed over his chest. "I mean, there is. But no. I want to go to Gwangju, too."

Bora cocks her head to the side at his answer. "What do you mean by that? There is a problem?"

"The Clan are based in Gwangju."

"Ah. The Clan. Of course."

Younghyun looks down to the floor briefly, lips pursed as he _tries _to think up a way to explain his way out of this. He sighs, shrugging at Bora. "We can go to Jeju. Jae knows some guys over there."

"I said Gwangju was pretty, not Jeju. Besides, we went there for our anniversary last year. I've never been to Gwangju and neither have you. It's pretty and I want to go. So can we go together, or do I need to go on my own?"

"You're not going there on your own."

"I know I'm not." Bora's smile means that he's fallen into the word trap she wanted. He curses at himself for not being more careful to give her an exact approach to how to get him to agree. "So, Younghyunie, when can I request that Sungjin gives you some time off? We can go for the weekend."

It's not as if he doesn't want to go. 

He enjoys their time away from real life. Like when they went to Jeju for their anniversary or spent a few days in Tokyo and forgot everything about D6 whilst they were there. Younghyun enjoyed the thought of being _free_. He enjoyed spending it with Bora and it reminded him that he very much did want to spend the rest of his life with her. 

But the timing and the place were a risk too much for him. 

"You know I would say yes, but there's a few too many problems for me to say it's okay. Sungjin will tell you the same."

Bora rolls her eyes. "Yeah, The Clan are there. We can just... wear masks, dye our hair, get fake IDs. It sounds like you just don't want to go."

"I also have to sort out this issue with Chan," Younghyun tells her. He contemplates sitting across from her at the table but decides not to. "He's doing this big job. Based it on a video game. Jae and Wonpil have their doubts it will work so I want to go through it with him beforehand to make sure the entire thing makes sense."

"Ooh! I have an idea."

Younghyun remains stoic. "Yes?"

"We take Chan and pretend he is your brother," Bora says, "you both can work on stuff in the mornings, then we hang out at night. We get him a separate room to us and it's all sorted. See? I'm a genius. I'll pay for his room, too. You're killing two birds with one stone."

"We're not taking Chan."

"Then we take that one who _actually_ looks like you? What's his name, _uhm_... Jisung? Small kid with big eyes? Yeah, it's Jisung."

Younghyun shakes his head, sighing as he returns back to what he was cooking. He shakes the pan a little, though doesn't particularly pay too much attention to what he's doing. "I'm sorry, baby. I just can't do it. Not now."

The quiet that fills the air concerns Younghyun for a moment. He doesn't turn back to Bora, instead listening for any noises she makes. He expects her to turn it into a game to see how much she can beg him until he eventually gives in, or to at least put up some defence to it. He worries she may actually be upset when he hears nothing from her for about ten seconds. 

He's especially concerned that he's upset her when the chair squeaks against the floor and he hears her footsteps. He turns his head slightly to try and see her, though is surprised to feel her arms wrap around his waist as she hugs him from behind. She pulls herself as close to him as possible, right cheek pressed against his back, arms holding him tight.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Younghyun asks, placing his hand on top of her own that are holding one another. He hears her mumble something, though it's not coherent because she had pressed her lips into his back, too. "I didn't hear that, baby."

Bora groans, moving her head to the side once more. "I'm being selfish."

"Only a little."

"Yah." Bora whimpers and buries her head against him again. He smiles at the gesture, squeezing her hand. "I know I always tell you that I don't want your commitments to D6 to affect us, and I know you try your best. I'm an asshole for always telling you that I don't care about Sungjin and the others, and for pushing you away when you're trying to protect me."

Younghyun's heart is heavy, though he turns himself in her arms so that he's now facing her. He puts his two fingers under her chin so that she's looking up to him. "Who did you speak to?"

"No one."

"You just started feeling bad over nothing?" Younghyun asks.

"I feel bad because I see how I can be sometimes." Bora shakes her head, trying to get Younghyun's touch from her. Once he moves his hand, she rests her head on his chest and sighs. "I heard you on the phone to Jae yesterday. I didn't realise how hard things were for you. I still think it's like when you just started out with me and D6 were some Unnamed wannabes. Now you're the richest triad in the country. It just... doesn't seem to sink in sometimes."

Younghyun's hand moves to Bora's hair. He runs his fingers over the top of her head, down to her back. "Where did you hear that we're the richest?"

"Jae was in a newspaper."

"Ah." Younghyun keeps his hand on Bora's back as he recalls the recent article about the '_Incheon killer_'. "I would tell you they make that stuff up, but we are the richest. That's why I'm worried, baby. We're a target. Especially to groups like The Clan. Even some of the others. DTA, BAP, ACE. They're all threats."

Bora looks up to Younghyun with the most innocent of eyes that make him question why he didn't run away with her already. She has a pout on her lips, brows slightly furrowed. "Who are DTA?"

"Group in Daegu that work with The Clan. They used to be a large triad that covered both Daegu and Busan, but the original members were all killed or thrown in jail. Kids took over, got annoyed at each other, created two different teams. Bangtan are the OG."

"_Bangtan_," Bora repeats, "Sungjin was doing something with their leader, right? I remember you saying one night."

"You remember that?"

Bora scoffs. "I do listen to you when you talk to me, yeah."

"I didn't think you cared about all this stuff." 

"Of course I do." Bora's words are sweet. Fortunately, he can tell when she's lying and this isn't one of those times. Younghyun's hand moves down to her hip, resting it just on her bone, waiting for her to finish. "I love you. Everything you tell me matters to me. I listen every morning and every night. I especially like when you complain about Jae."

Younghyun rolls his eyes. "I don't complain about him that much."

"Oh, you _do_."

"I do?" Younghyun raises his eyebrows as Bora nods. "Okay, I do. I'm surprised."

Bora's laugh brings him more joy than he cares to explain. She reaches up to place her hand on the back of his neck, pressing a short kiss to the corner of his lips. "Everything you tell me, I listen to it and I remember it. What's important to you is important to me, and I'm sorry for not acting that way."

✦✦✦ 

Younghyun, despite his concerns, finds it easier with the use of his hands. He can look around, he can find his way around the room (and he eventually found a lightswitch), and he can most importantly spend time trying to pick that lock on the door as best he can.

He thought the phone Sungjin sent to him would give him more ability to communicate but he was wrong. There were no numbers on there and he didn't ever bother to learn any apart from Bora's anyway. So he was still sat in a room for the entirety of the day, only with contact from the members of DTA that Yoongi spared on him.

He did get an escape after three days, just when he was on the verge of losing his shit, when Jungkook came to get him with the help of Yeonjun.

Luckily he had his hands rebound in the rope as tight as he could get it and the phone was on the inside pocket of his jeans (an invention of Jae's, just in case they should ever need it). He had hopes that this was the last time they would as him for money, because above everything he so desperately wanted to hear Bora's voice and know that she was still okay.

He'd take it over a shower or a toothbrush at this point. Sungjin never text him with an update, so he assumed they were no closer to finding her than before. He wished he could be out there looking for her but he knew the position both Bangtan and D6 were in; if he was set free, they would hurt Bora because it was their leverage.

"You're heavy," Jungkook says, pushing Younghyun down into one of the chairs that were sat around a circular table. He counts 7 chairs in total. Jungkook sighs as he gestures for Yeonjun to follow him. "Don't move. They'll be here in a second."

Younghyun frowns. "Who?"

Jungkook responds with a nonchalant shrug, equalled by Yeonjun quickly glancing back to Younghyun, unsure if he should speak. The youngest decides not to, following after Jungkook as they both exit the hall and leave Younghyun on his own. 

He enjoys the sunlight for the time it hits his skin, his heart rate steadier than it has been for a while. He looks around but there is nothing specific that he picks up on. He assumes that he's here to speak to Yoongi and Kihyun, since the deal he had with Yoongi was clearly not going ahead - not that _he _was meant to know that, anyway.

There's a camera in the corner of the room which he spots after a while. Its faint red light that flashes occasionally is what he catches, and he makes note that it's pointed directly at him. Either Yoongi needed this recorded, Kihyun was watching, or one of Chan's boys had found a way into those cameras.

Younghyun sits patiently for what feels like ten minutes, though was likely two minutes at the most. He tries to keep his head clear but no matter what he does, they go straight back to her. That picture of her Kihyun showed him. Her pained voice as she spoke with him. He couldn't begin to guess what state she was in now but there was a clear picture in his head that he couldn't shake.

Bora had to be found as soon as possible, that was clear.

"Sorry for the delay." Kihyun's voice echoes through the hall, though Younghyun doesn't bother to look their way. He stares at the table, eyes heavy from the lack of sleep he's experienced. "I got a call from the most _unexpected _of people."

Younghyun ignores him again, though he's forced to look at Kihyun by one of the other members of The Clan who grasps his chin. He tries to catch their features but he can only make out the blonde to blue hair and physique that makes him question whether he was likely to win any altercation with The Clan.

Kihyun rolls his eyes at Younghyun, ordering the man away from him. "It's a shame, Young K. We really would have been good partners. Instead, you want to work with the likes of JB and... god, who was it..."

"Me," Yoongi chimes in, looking over to Younghyun with a smug expression. He shrugs at Younghyun for the look he gives. "Sorry, I had to tell him."

"It hurts me to think that you would go behind my back."

Younghyun scoffs. "You and I had no reason to be in this position. You could have targeted anyone but _you_ chose _me_."

"Because you're the richest," Kihyun says. He looks over to the one who grabbed Kihyun's chin before. "Tell me, Wonho, what was it like in his apartment?"

Wonho, who Younghyun already knows from multiple stories but had never seen the face of, sips on a bottle of water before answering. "He had a lot of pointless, expensive things."

"_Pointless expensive things_. See, Younghyun, we targeted you for a reason. You all have money, you just needed to share it with all of us. We could have come to an agreement before but Sungjin doesn't like me."

"Sungjin doesn't like anyone," Younghyun tells them. He scans the faces of those sitting at the table. He recognises Lee Jooheon and Lim Changkhyun, then there is Yoongi and Kihyun, then Wonho, and finally one person he doesn't recognise. "Why am I here now? What else do you need from me? Some fucking balls?"

Jooheon and Changkyun both find his statement amusing. Jooheon leans forward, knife in hand and pointed straight at him. "I would think you would need balls from us, Younghyunie."

"Or, your girlfriend needs them."

Younghyun looks directly to the one on the end that he doesn't know, eyes narrowed at the mention of Bora. It's when he really looks at the pretty boy with black middle-parted hair and glasses that he realises who it _must _be. "Chae Hyungwon."

"So you do listen to her!" Hyungwon, smiling widely, looks to Kihyun who had a blank stare. "It's a shame that she doesn't listen to you. If only she did get that background check on me that you so badly wanted. I get it, she probably felt like you were taking over her life, but if she was my girlfriend then I would have forced it. A man that moved from Gwangju right when you get a warning that The Clan are in your area? Young K, you claim to be smart but that was a rookie move."

Yoongi hums. "You've been spending too much time with those kids of yours. You know that whatever they have going on isn't going to work, right?"

"Why the _fuck _am I here?"

"We were getting to that," Kihyun states. Another eye roll and some documents pulled out his bag, and he's ready to start. "We have reassessed the situation, given that you tried to turn DTA against us."

Yoongi nods in agreement. "Rookie move again. Kihyun and I have a strong bond."

"And we were of the understanding that ten mil was just enough for you to afford." Kihyun pushes the papers in Younghyun's direction, but he ignores them and continues to stare forward. "We have considered and we need 50 million from you to ensure Moon Bora's safety and your own. Though I'm sure that Bora's safety matters more to you in the end."

Younghyun shakes his head."I don't have that kind of money."

"D6 does," Hyungwon says, "I looked into it. Fifty is nothing for you guys."

"I don't have access to that money."

"You know who does."

Younghyun scoffs, looking directly to Hyungwon. He would kill Chae Hyungwon first, he's decided. "I don't have fucking access and I don't know who does. Sungjin gave it to someone but didn't say who. It would be pretty shitty business if we all knew how to access a shit tonne of money at the click of our fingers."

"He's right." Changkyun hums in agreement. "Young K would have run with the money by now if he did know. I looked at his purchases. How do you expect to support yourself if you have a net spending of over ten thousand a month?"

"The point is, you can pay it," Yoongi says. 

He gestures towards the paper for Younghyun to read, though Younghyun still won't budge. He rolls his eyes, looking at Hyungwon with the most detest. He sees why Bora trusted him. He didn't look like he would be here - he has kind eyes and a sweet smile like any boy his age would. He didn't have that menacing stare like Jooheon, or the body of Wonho. He looked... average.

So if an average boy like Hyungwon could orchestrate this entire ordeal, Younghyun was likely to struggle in keeping this charade going.

✦✦✦ 

Sungjin and Younghyun weren't always the best of friends.

The two had met during a class on international policy. Younghyun studied Business and Sungjin studied Economics, though they had seen each other a few times before that class in their second year of university. Sungjin recognised Younghyun as the bassist in a group who would play at a music cafe on Friday nights. Younghyun knew Sungjin as the president of the society for entrepreneurship who would constantly show up in lectures.

The had spoken previously in first year at a careers fair, since they both went to the same stall looking at joining the same job.

It was very likely that it was fate that brought them together on that Tuesday morning, since the only reason Younghyun arrived late and had to sit next to Sungjin at the front of the lecture hall was all the trains being cancelled - which, of course, is not something that usually happens.

Still, they sat next to each other and spoke briefly afterwards. They ended up being friends through their Tuesday morning classes and by the time Christmas had passed, they spoke regularly and would hang out on campus if they were both free. Mostly it was doing coursework together, though Sungjin was pretty smart, so Younghyun didn't mind that too much.

"I got word from Dowoon about a possible sighting," Sungjin says, voice echoing from behind a wall. His head peeks out from the wall that separates the kitchen, eyes searching for Younghyun in the living room. "Have you told Bora what the situation is?"

Younghyun looks up from the book in his hands._The Handmaiden's Tale. _He started reading it on recommendation from Bora and was enjoying it too much to just forget about. "She knows. It doesn't mean she will listen."

"She should," Jae comments. 

The oldest of the three is spread across Sungjin's sofa, legs on the leather and blanket over him. Fortunately, Sungjin wasn't too bothered by Jae's relaxed manner. The oldest was carefree towards absolutely anything and that seemed to help his role in D6 the most. He didn't care for who he had to stab in the back. He didn't care for feelings or emotions. Sungjin appreciated that in his own way.

Jae sits up, folding the blanket over his lap. He looks to Sungjin as he messes up his blonde streaked hair (that, for safety reasons, had to constantly be changed). "I think that we should put her on house arrest. She's going to cause us problems."

"No."

"You're a biased party in this decision," Jae states, turning to Younghyun with narrowed eyes, "you know that it would be a decision we would make if any of us were dating. Unfortunately, you're the only one here who is dating someone, and you know that Bora will hate it, so you hate it too. It's for her safety."

Sungjin appears from the kitchen with two bowls in his hand, both of which he places down on the coffee table between the sofas. Jae makes an _ooh _noise as he sees the bowl of chicken, grabbing for a wing and regretting the burning afterwards. 

Sungjin frowns at Jae, though looks to Younghyun before he forgets what he had to say. "You know that we would recommend to anyone that they should place loved ones on house arrest. I know Bora, and I know she will hate it, but we have to be realistic about the situation. She's at risk."

"She's not an immediate risk, there's not proof that she will be targeted over anyone that you two, or Wonpil and Dowoon know."

Jae interrupts them both, mouth full as he speaks. Both Sungjin and Younghyun look at him devout of any emotions, though Sungjin voices their shared opinion. "Please finish your food before you speak."

"I was saying that she _is_ an immediate risk," Jae tells them, swallowing the chicken he was chewing on. He grabs a tissue to put the bone in before returning to an expectant Younghyun and Sungjin. "I went by her work when I was free the other day. Who's that kid following her around everywhere? He's new."

"Kid?" Sungjin questions, turning to Younghyun.

Younghyun shrugs. "Just someone she works with. I already asked her about it. She said she trusts that he's not a bad guy. I can't not believe her."

"With all due respect to Bora, you can just not believe her." Jae takes another piece of chicken which he holds a bit longer than last time. "Didn't you get a name? Anything we can identify him with? It's a precaution. She doesn't have to know about it and you can sleep soundly at night knowing he's not going to kidnap her one day."

"I mean this with all due respect too, you're not going behind her back to find information on this guy. You know how much she hates everything we do and you know for a fact if she finds out that it's _you_ doing all this she will not be happy. I'm aware of the risks but I have to trust her too. I have to believe her when she says that it's fine, because if I can't do that then that means I trust you guys more than I trust her."

Jae pulls a face of confusion. "You _do _trust us more than her, though?"

"When it comes to drugs and money and gang violence, yeah." Younghyun looks to Sungjin pleadingly, hoping to get some support. Sungjin doesn't move though, instead focusing on the floor as he processes the situation. Younghyun holds back from rolling his eyes. "How am I supposed to tell the girl I want to marry that I don't respect her wishes and go behind her back because the guy who threatened to kill her when we first started dating thinks her colleague is some mafia guy who wants me dead?"

Sungjin sighs rather loudly, taking them both by surprise. He goes to Jae first, emotionless still. "Follow the guy that has been around her, but don't get too close. Observe him and what he does, see if he has a legitimate story. I'll speak to Bora and find out what she knows. I won't lie to her, I'll be straight about the whole story. If she doesn't want to hear it from you then she can hear it from me."

"Sounds fair."

"It is," Sungjin states. He shifts towards Younghyun, pulling the sleeves of his blazer up as he rests his elbows on his knees. "As for you, I understand that it's an awkward position but this is for the benefit of Bora, not just you. This is no longer you being concerned about her safety, it's me, it's Chan, and it's JB. All of us have stakes in this and even if you knew her a week she would be a liability to us. You know this isn't me being hard on you, Younghyun, but she's a weakness of yours and anyone who can use it against us, they _will_. So I will organise to meet her privately."

Younghyun nods only once, turning to face the window instead of continuing the conversation. Was he angry? God yeah he was angry. The thought of this blowing out of proportion made his blood boil. The kicker was that it was Jae who had brought it up. Younghyun didn't have a problem with Jae, it was Bora who did and the problem was rightfully placed.

He hated the thought of their relationship being forced into the hands of Sungjin. He didn't want to be a puppet that Sungjin controlled with the rest of D6 on the backburner. He would have rather quit than it get this far, but he remembers exactly what Sungjin had told him when they first saw an opportunity to create something like D6.

_You trust me and I'll trust you. I won't do anything that goes against you. It will all be in your interest. I just need you to trust me._

Younghyun looks back to Sungjin, noticing stares from both of the others focused on him. He nods again, biting his tongue to think through his words properly. "If you think that's best, then I'm okay with it."

✦✦✦

The tiredness was starting to have a real impact on Younghyun now.

He spent his days staring at a blank wall, unable to sleep like he always thought he would be able to. He started to overthink, he began painting a picture of a world he wanted which occupied him for the majority of the day. If he didn't have that phone, he wouldn't have any idea what time of day it was or how many days it had been.

Younghyun tried to stay awake in case he was surprised by Yoongi or Kihyun or one of the men they have running around doing their errands. He began to form a schedule for when one of them would check he was still alive, though that fear was always with him no matter what.

Today he couldn't keep himself from letting the overwhelming need to sleep consume him. He has his head against the wall, limbs almost numb as his eyes fall shut and his lips slightly gap. He drifts in and out of the darkness, barely noticing the real world around him that carried on moving.

Part of him embraces the idea of one long sleep where he could just picture the world he wanted. Bora back with him, everyone happy, no worries for what The Clan or DTA or _anyone _would do.

The other part, more rationally, worries that Sungjin might text him and he'll miss it. Someone could come in here and move him to a completely new room or building and he would have no idea. Yoongi could come and kill him.

That was the thought process he found himself in.

He's so close to sleeping that he starts to see stars, though the door opening catches him off guard and shakes him back awake. He missed the footsteps though luckily he had his hands bound again and the phone was, as always, hidden.

It's Taehyung this time, though Jungkook is standing behind him. Younghyun doesn't react as they pull him to his feet, ignoring the fact he's barely with it, and carry him wherever they needed him to be. He tries to keep up with the path they take him on though his head hurts too much to be one hundred per cent sure of the route.

They end up taking him to a larger room, this one with windows similar to the ones in the previous room. The whole set up is similar. There's a chain on the wall and as soon as Younghyun see it, he knows that's where he's going.

And he's right, like always.

They chain both his ankles, as well as his wrists, to the metal shackles that are attached to the wall. It barely gives him room to move though he tries not to be too bothered by it. The sunlight helps him more than he could have ever imagined.

What he did not expect to see was Hyungwon and Wonho come through the same door a few moments later, also carrying another person. His immediate worry is that it's Chan or one of the other kids, though when he sees the strands of blonde hair hang down his heart skips a beat.

"Bora," he says softly, voice cracking as they place her down on the floor next to him. He tries to move closer to her but he can't move more than a foot. He pulls on the chains as best he can, despite knowing ultimately he wouldn't be able to help her. "What the fuck did you do to her?"

No one answers. She's unconscious, though it doesn't appear to be due to an injury. They likely used chloroform to knock her out which is somewhat better but it chills him to the bone to see her like that.

They probably don't look too different in the end, but there's something about seeing Bora in the position of a hostage that makes him wish that he never asked her to love him back.

He's left to stare at her body, tears filling his eyes as she is supported by the chains and nothing else. He doesn't know when she'll wake up, but he does know that this is a cruel game played by Min Yoongi to ask him to surrender the money they wanted so badly.

So he just watches her, begging for her to wake so that he can just hear her voice and tell her that everything is going to be okay. His only hope that this isn't the end is that Namjoon is meant to be changing that phone within the next few days.

✦✦✦

He _always _woke up before her, no matter what the circumstances.

Younghyun thought that because he spent the entire night, and some part of the early morning, surrounded by different kinds of men and women who wanted him no less than _dead_, that he would be able to sleep for a few more hours and wake up to something completely new.

Not that he was complaining by any means, of course - he loved waking up with Bora's head resting on his shoulder, arm draped over his chest.

"Morning, baby."

His fingers dance across her back, down to her spine as she groans and buries her face in his chest. Younghyun finds her behaviour, as with every morning that spent with her, rather childlike. He smiles to himself, tracing over her spine as she stretches her neck.

"It's too early," she says, voice mostly muffled due to her position. She looks up to Younghyun after a few moments, eyes narrowed and brows pulled together. "Yah, you're not meant to be awake. You've barely slept."

Younghyun hums but keeps still. "I didn't plan on waking up."

"So you woke me up because you woke up?"

"I woke you up because I wanted to talk to you." Younghyun doesn't mean to seem so serious, but when Bora looks back to him with wide eyes he realises that he may have worried her a little too much. "It's not important I was just... thinking, yesterday."

Bora moves so that she's laying with her head on the pillow beside Younghyun, rather than on him. She turns her head to the side and places her hand under her head. "I'm listening."

"I wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you?" Bora repeats, questioning his words. She puts her hand on his forearm and squeezes a little. "Kang Younghyun, are you feeling okay?"

He pushes her hand off, shaking his head. "I mean it, I'm so thankful for everything you've given up for me. That you came here with me, that you sacrificed the life you wanted in Seoul for me. That every day you risk your life because you love me. It's a lot to ask someone to do and I... I didn't even ask you, you just did it."

"I did it because Jae said he would kill me otherwise."

"Don't be like that, I said this is serious."

Bora hums. "I know, I know."

"But do you really understand what I mean?" Younghyun asks her.

"I understand that you're thanking me for loving you, which seems a bit strange," Bora answers. Her hand moves up to his face, where she cups his cheek as she continues. "You seem to forget that _you _are also risking yourself for me. This is a mutual risk. So... I'm thankful for you too. For worrying about me, for taking care of me, for accepting that you're a liability for me. Even for going against your friends' wishes for me."

Younghyun isn't sure how to answer, so he stays quiet and instead holds his own hand above her own. He intertwines their fingers, moving her hand from his cheek down to his chest, placing it just above his heart. He knows that she's watching him with loving eyes and the thought brings pricking to the corner of his eyes. Younghyun has mastered the control of his own emotions, so he's able to stop any tears from showing.

And it's because he loves her _so damn much_.

There was not a part of his being that didn't love her, or any part of her. Even the attitude she would have sometimes, the way she would get angry and the fact that she didn't like his friends - they were all parts of her that he loved. No, he wouldn't ask for Bora to be changed in any way. He wouldn't ask to replace even the smallest part of her. 

He only wanted her. 

To be with her, to love her; to be in love with her.

"You know how much I love you?"

Younghyun looks back to Bora with slightly widened eyes. "How much?"

"Enough to give my life for yours," Bora tells him. She hears him open his mouth to protest so carries on. "I don't care what you say, Kang Younghyun. You're the love of my life and if it came to it, I wouldn't care to put myself in front of you to make sure you were okay. If any of those people came along who could possibly hurt you, and they kidnapped me or took me or whatever you're so scared they'll do, forget about me. Don't put yourself in danger for me. Move on from me and live your life knowing that's what I wanted you to do."

"I don't want to live a life without you, though."

Bora shakes her head. She takes her hand from under his own and uses it to push herself up, so that she's laying on her side with her head raised above his level. "Even my ghost will stay with you. I'm sorry. You're stuck with me forever. Even when you move on from me and you've been married twenty years with two kids, I'll still be sitting on the edge of your bed judging you for everything I do at the moment."

"Don't talk about you dying."

"_Everything_," Bora repeats, moving closer to him, "even the noise you make when you like the way someone touches you."

Younghyun pushes her away from him, expression showing his distaste for her words. "Stop bringing that up."

"I better not hear you making that noise when your new wife touches you. That's a noise reserved for me and _only_ me."

"I'm not getting a new wife," Younghyun tells her, "_if_ anything happened to you, which I won't because I won't let it, I wouldn't get remarried or date anyone else. I definitely won't be making that noise, either."

Bora pouts. "Because that noise is reserved for me?"

"Because _you_ are the only one who knows how to get that noise."

She laughs at his words, hair falling down her back as she lets her head move back a little. Younghyun watches with a lazy smile, eyes moving over her figure to make sure he hasn't missed a thing. He's so engrossed in the thought of her, the very being of her, that he misses her finding an opportunity to ambush him.

Before he can react she moves over to him, swinging her leg over his hips to straddle him. She places both her hands on his chest, leaning down to him as her hair falls back over her shoulders. "It's a real shame that you have to be spending the rest of your day with Sungjin."

Younghyun, by instinct, puts his hand on her thighs, fingers splayed across her flesh as he tugs her forward very gently. "Oh, it is?"

"A real shame." Bora leans closer to him, lips just ghosting his own. He's sure she feels his heart start to beat a little quicker because her lips curl into a smirk. "I had some other things we could do instead."

"What did you have in mind?"

Bora presses her lips to his, only a gentle kiss at first that he tries to deepen when her fingers move to the nape of his neck, pulling at the short hairs. As usual, she takes control of the situation and pulls away, leaving Younghyun to stare at her with a longing to continue what she started.

"You have to go sort out the accounts with Sungjin," Bora says, sitting back on her thighs. She reaches for Younghyun's hands and grasps them gently. "When you're home, then I might show you."

"Might?"

"It depends on how I feel later."

Younghyun sighs, head turned slightly to the side. "I don't have to go with Sungjin today. I can spend all day with you. He'll understand."

"Stop being thirsty and do your job, Younghyunie." Bora copies Younghyun's typical gesture by bringing his knuckles to her lips and kissing them gently. "You've got every night with me until we're old. Those accounts will only keep getting pushed back at this rate because you're too lazy to do them. One day you're gonna wish you knew them like the back of your hand and you'll regret wanting to be with me instead."

He knows what she means really, given that Sungjin had aged about twenty years given the work he would do every day, but Younghyun doesn't know how _not _to show his love to her in everything he does. "But I'll regret not spending the time with you, more."

✦✦✦

They're sat as close to each other as they possibly could be, though Younghyun is no longer sure if that's the best idea.

Bora was quiet. She never usually kept her quiet disposition unless she was fearful for something. He understood, he really did, but his efforts felt pointless. Each time he tried to tell her that it would be okay there was the underlying tone in his voice that even he wasn't sure that was the case.

"Someone is coming," Younghyun says. Bora won't even meet his eyes anymore. He wonders what is really going through her head, though he knows deep down that she's thinking about what Min Yoongi and Yoo Kihyun could put her through. He pulls at his hand again, rattling the chains which gets her attention. "I told you that I would never let anything happen to you. I won't."

Bora nods, maintaining her eye contact with him. She hasn't shown any other emotions since she cried when she woke up. There was nothing but fear drifting through the room and he couldn't do anything about it. "Who's coming?"

"Sungjin got a deal with Bangtan. They're helping us. Namjoon is meant to be coming back here to replace the phone he gave me last week. When he comes to look for me then he will realise that you're here."

"Why didn't he take you beforehand?"

"Because if he did then you were in danger," Younghyun says, "if I disappeared then they would have done something to you."

Though she's quiet, Younghyun knows when she wants to say something. He's sure that she would have shouted him down for risking his life for her, but she's got barely any energy to do a thing. So he waits patiently for her. He watches over her with the only thought in his mind relating to keeping her safe no matter what.

Bora can barely keep her head up, though a smile through watery eyes is what has Younghyun's nails digging into the palm of his hands. "I'm sorry for not listening to you, Younghyunie."

"You don't have to apologise, baby."

"You're not mad?"

Younghyun shakes his head. "I would never be mad at you. I can't impose a life on you where you don't have the freedom to make your own friends, be your own person, and leave the house whenever you want. I'm sorry for bringing this on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Bora tells him. She meets his gaze with another sweet smile that he missed so much, one that warms his heart as much as it can do in the situation. Of anything, it fuels his anger so much more towards those who did this. "But I want you to promise me one thing when your friends come and rescue us."

"What's that?"

"You find Min Yoongi and Yoo Kihyun, you take everything from them."

Younghyun humours her words with an ounce of laughter. The sound lifts the atmosphere a touch, enough for him to believe himself that there is a happy ending to this all. That they'll both get out of here. That he can make it to New Year's Eve and promise to love her for the rest of their lives. That one day they'll look back on this and laugh about it.

He would do more than_ just _take everything from them. "I plan on making them wish they were dead."

"I want to do it," Bora states. Younghyun frowns at her words, not understanding the full depth of what she means. She looks over to the door and nods to herself. "When you tie them to a wall like this, and you don't let them eat or drink for days, and they're _begging _for you to take something else from them apart from their lives, I want to be the one who takes the one thing they value from them."

And Younghyun initially feels the guilt of dragging her into his problems in the form of worry that she may come just like him.

That, despite all the times she rejected the mentality of a murdering, drug selling, money-grabbing triad, she was turning to it right now. Bora was becoming what she hated the most and all it took was a thought of the act of vengeance against someone who not only hurt her but the one she loved too. 

He wonders if she's pictured their death all this time.

He wonders what Sungjin will think if he tries to explain that Moon Bora, the one who would avoid the topic of anything D6 related, was now actively trying to participate in what she hated.

Maybe Sungjin would be happy. Lord knows that Jae would be happy about it - the oldest would be happy to teach Bora everything he knew about death and murder, as well as give her all the extras she never knew she needed. Maybe Sungjin would want her on board and that's hardly any better than Jae spending time with her.

He wonders if she's even thought through it.

"I'm also sorry for how I've treated Jae and the others this whole time."

Younghyun pulls himself from his thoughts when he hears her words. He looks at her blankly for a moment before he realises what she's saying. "They deserved it."

"They were just looking out for me," Bora states. She leans her head back against the wall as she sighs. "It just hit me the last time we talked about all this, we were in bed with the heating on, teeth brushed, showered, in fresh clothes. I missed talking to you. I think this all would have been easier if I was with you the whole time."

"When we get out of here we can shower and brush our teeth and put on warm clothes and just lay together in bed and talk about whatever you want. I think Sungjin will give me a break for a while, I can't imagine your work is going to give you a hard time if Sungjin has covered it."

Bora groans. "Shit. I forgot about work."

"You know you could just quit and let me take care of you," Younghyun says. He stops for a moment before continuing. "I mean, you're going to have to quit either way. I know you want to have your own money but... what's mine is your's. I don't want to spend any more time apart after this. I'll worry that it will be the last time I see you."

"Don't make me cry."

"Too late for that."

Bora frowns, though realises that Younghyun is referring to the tear that falls down her cheek a second later. She smiles weakly once more, closing her eyes as her head is pressed back against the wall again. He can't do anything but watch her, thoughts leading to a clearer picture of what he wants in the future. None of them are without _her_.

He gets so lost in a trail of memories he's yet to create that he almost misses the door being pushed open. Of course his ears prick up at the sound of heavy footsteps and his breath hitches in his throat as the possibility of it being Min Yoongi or Yoo Kihyun coming to collect their dues. He watches the room with a heavy heart, unsure whether this was the last time he would be able to make any decision as to what his future holds. 

Younghyun is caught off guard by the figure in front of him pulling off the cap and face mask they're wearing. Another follows behind, this one shorter yet still as buff looking, and he realises that his fears are far too misplaced. 

Like Sungjin said, _you trust me and I'll trust you_.

"We've got them both," Namjoon says, hand grasping the radio attached to his jacket. He sighs in relief, looking over to Bora. "Have Soobin on standby should we need medical attention."

Younghyun looks over to Bora who notices his change in disposition. He shows only relief to her, mouth gaped as he shares the feeling with her. "Bora, meet Namjoon."

"And Jimin," the shorter of the two rescuers says. He's young, probably the same age as Bora, though his cute looking face shouldn't be mismatched. Younghyun knows who Jimin is, as do most leaders of any triad around here. Park Jimin was a young prodigy who caused the end to great men. He was someone you wanted on your side. "Nice to meet you both. We're here to take you to Busan. Sungjin is waiting there for you."

Bora bows her head at both Jimin and Namjoon, something that Younghyun copies a moment later. It's Jimin that goes to Bora, Namjoon focusing on getting the chains off Younghyun. He listens to her nonetheless, keeping his eyes on her as Namjoon picks at the lock on his shackles. "They're not going to come back here before we leave, are they?"

"We caused enough of a problem elsewhere for us to have a window of about an hour and a half before anyone important is back here," Jimin tells her.

"You may have to stay in Busan for a few days to ensure your safety," Namjoon says, freeing one of Younghyun's hands. He stops to make sure that Younghyun is listening to him, and hands him another phone that he was originally meant to be here for. "DTA have no reason to think we are working together. Jeongin was able to establish a secure line between Seokjin and Sungjin. The Clan wouldn't know either. Once we're in Busan there's a hotel booked under a different name. You're to stay there until Seokjin establishes it's safe to leave."

Younghyun nods, allowing Namjoon to work on the other shackle around his wrist. He looks to Bora with the best of smiles he can give her. "You did say you wanted to go to Busan, didn't you?"

"Maybe under different circumstances."

"You'll like it," Jimin tells them, "I'll ask for Taehyun and Kai to show you around."

Bora agrees, though Younghyun is sure she'll be more up to it after sleeping for a while and getting back to her own life. For the first time in a while he doesn't notice the sinking feeling in his stomach; it's replaced with the energy of a star that's burning brightest in the sky. Of course he is worried, there's not a part of him that doesn't constantly fear what could happen in the future.

That was his life and that would never change and he was okay with that, as long as Bora was with him. The day she left him, he realised that he never wanted her to leave him again. It was scar pressed into his heart that would affect him until he met his inevitable end, though he was okay with that, too.

✦✦✦

"Jae asked how you were, by the way."

Bora looks up to the phone screen that shows Younghyun's text messages and she flashes a brief smile before returning her head to the comfort of his chest. She splays her fingers over the middle of his chest, skin to skin contact stopped by the shirt he wore. "He has my number. He can text me."

"I think he's scared of you," Younghyun tells her, locking his phone and placing it by his side. 

"He's double my height, how is he scared of me?" Bora questions. She looks up to Younghyun with wide eyes, though her expression turns sweet when the tips of his fingers meet her hair. "He's coming to meet me next week. He said he wants to show me how to pick locks, get out of wrist ties, and throw knives at people."

Younghyun laughs at her words. "Should I be jealous that you're friends with him now?"

"Well, no."

Bora looks over to the window, eyes glazed over as she recalls a memory of Jae. Younghyun watches curiously, brows slightly furrowed as she stares for gone thirty seconds. Younghyun isn't jealous, per se, but he certainly hopes that she thinks of him like that, too. He's about to pull her from her thoughts when she looks back to him with a wide grin. 

"On reflection, I do think it's pretty hot when a guy holds a gun."

Younghyun raises his brow. "You do?"

"I think that it would be a pretty good sight if you were the one who had a gun in his hands, you were aiming it and your muscles were all tense, you had that look of concentration on your face..." 

Bora sighs as she throws herself back against the pillow next to Younghyun. He still watches her, confused as to what thoughts are going through her mind. She keeps her eyes closed for a minute or two, breathing just faster than if it was steady before she peeks one eye open to see Younghyun. 

"Did you know you're the most attractive man to walk this earth?" Bora asks. Her innocent eyes bring joy to Younghyun. "No, you don't have to be jealous of Jae. After what I just pictured there is not anyone who you need to be jealous of."

"What did you picture?"

Bora shakes her head, covering her eyes. "Something I'm never sharing unless you get me so drunk I can't control what I say."

"Are you sexualising me, Moon Bora?" Younghyun sits up on his elbow, falsifying a judgemental look in her direction. "I'm hurt. I thought you loved me for me."

"Don't flatter yourself. I loved you for your money."

Younghyun holds his hand over his heart, lips pulled into an 'o' shape. He falls back down onto the pillow, still clutching his heart. "You've hurt me in a way that no one else can. I don't think I can get through this. Ah, my heart hurts so much."

"Do you want me to kiss it better?" Bora asks.

"I think there's something else you can kiss to make it better."

Bora matches his shocked expression, sitting up on her knees and facing him completely. She playfully whacks his shoulder to express her discontent. "Yah! Now who is sexualising who!"

"I didn't say what!" Younghyun's defence is already weak, so he does something else to go in his favour. He reaches for her hands, pulling Bora down onto him so that she's laying on his chest, face buried in his neck. He looks to her, though her eyes are shut. "You know deep down you love me for me."

Bora shakes her head, her answer muffled. "No."

"Not even a little?"

"Maybe a little," Bora says, lifting her head slightly. She places a short kiss on his jaw before nuzzling her head into his neck again. "I love you as much as you love me."

Younghyun hums, arms around her figure as he holds her tight. He returns her gesture by pressing his lips to the part of her forehead that's exposed. "So an unending amount that can never be determined because people in our lifetime aren't smart enough to come up with a figure large enough to represent it?"

"Yeah," Bora says, agreeing with him as she settles her body with his, "something like that."


End file.
